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The rear driver window in my 2020 Tesla Model 3 does not want to go down or up and sounds pretty close to a Family Feud [error message](https://youtu.be/NtKEMWX8OqU).
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Previously, this window would occasionally not roll up underneath the top trim because the B pillar's rubber seal would not be flush when the door closed, forcing the window to be outside of the frame. I have a suspicion that this caused some added stress onto the window regulator motor.
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I then manually pushed the window down by reaching around the B pillar and having one hand inside and one outside. You might need to do this to open the door so that the window isn’t stuck under the frame. After this, my window can at least move up and down a bit.
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So that’s the current state of my rear driver window in my 2020 Tesla model 3. In this post, I’m going to show you how I fixed it.
-[Remove the puddle light](https://service.tesla.com/docs/Model3/ServiceManual/en-us/GUID-2D49E56C-937E-4756-A7E2-D3D27A69ABB5.html#GUID-2D49E56C-937E-4756-A7E2-D3D27A69ABB5)
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-[Remove the door trim](https://service.tesla.com/docs/Model3/ServiceManual/en-us/GUID-571074E0-AF50-488B-B65D-5EB50EFB9FCF.html#GUID-571074E0-AF50-488B-B65D-5EB50EFB9FCF)
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-[Remove the inner belt seal](https://service.tesla.com/docs/Model3/ServiceManual/en-us/GUID-C30832F9-4546-4EF9-BF17-2DB0DBEC7174.html#GUID-C30832F9-4546-4EF9-BF17-2DB0DBEC7174)
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-[Remove the glass/window](https://service.tesla.com/docs/Model3/ServiceManual/en-us/GUID-8F95D69B-D3D8-4B1E-B2DD-5703835D450F.html#GUID-8F95D69B-D3D8-4B1E-B2DD-5703835D450F)
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-[Remove the window regulator assembly](https://service.tesla.com/docs/Model3/ServiceManual/en-us/GUID-1F4A72C4-BFEB-410B-BB8C-CDEAA02CC36A.html)
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2. Purchase new regulator motor
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2.[Purchase new regulator motor](https://parts.tesla.com/en-US/catalogs/9678bc03-3011-4c95-9620-bb32d391cac0/systemGroups/89377fb9-d068-4510-8ef4-2223c56a3b08?partNumber=1096622-98-L)
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3. Install new regulator motor
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4. Calibrate windows (optional but recommended)
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4.[Calibrate windows](https://service.tesla.com/docs/Model3/ServiceManual/en-us/GUID-48DBD307-B68C-46F2-8D24-6DFACC26BB16.html) (optional but recommended)
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## Removing Window Regulator Motor
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## Intro
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The rear driver window in my 2020 Tesla Model 3 does not want to go down or up and sounds pretty close to a Family Feud [error message](https://youtu.be/NtKEMWX8OqU).
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### Tesla's Free Service Manual
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For starters, you should be aware that Tesla publishes a [free service manual](https://service.tesla.com/docs/Model3/ServiceManual/en-us/index.html) that is actually really good.
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This post will mainly just be following that with some additional commentary on things that were helpful to me as a DIYer.
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Previously, this window would occasionally not roll up underneath the top trim because the B pillar's rubber seal would not be flush when the door closed, forcing the window to be outside of the frame. I have a suspicion that this caused some added stress onto the window regulator motor.
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I then manually pushed the window down by reaching around the B pillar and having one hand inside and one outside. You might need to do this to open the door so that the window isn’t stuck under the frame. After this, the window motor can move the window up and down a bit.
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So that’s the current state of my rear driver window in my 2020 Tesla model 3. In this post, I’m going to show you how I fixed it.
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### Outline
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In this post, I’m going to go through three main things:
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1.[Disassembly](#removing-window-regulator-motor) so that you can look at your window regulator to inspect it to determine if you want to repair or replace
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- You will likely end up choosing to replace because it’s really just sold as one large assembly. For example, you can’t buy just the regulator motor. So I’ll walk you through that process.
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1. And assembly, which will be glossed over as it’s just disassembly in reverse.
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1. Lastly, how to recalibrate the window motors so that they know when to stop lowering the window and when to stop raising the window. This actually might not be a bad place to start if your window motor sounds fine or if it seems to be moving the window fine but not all the way. This is just a few taps on the touchscreen and is very easy to do.
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In this video, I’m going to go through three main things:
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1. Disassembly so that you can look at your window regulator to inspect it to determine if you want to repair or replace
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2. You will likely end up choosing to replace because it’s really just sold as one large assembly. For example, you can’t buy just the regulator motor. So I’ll walk you through that process.
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3. And assembly, which will be glossed over as it’s just disassembly in reverse.
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4. Lastly, how to recalibrate the window motors so that they know when to stop lowering the window and when to stop raising the window. This actually might not be a bad place to start if your window motor sounds fine or if it seems to be moving the window fine but not all the way. This is just a few taps on the touchscreen and is very easy to do.
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### Tesla's Free Service Manual
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For starters, you should be aware that Tesla publishes a [free service manual](https://service.tesla.com/docs/Model3/ServiceManual/en-us/index.html) that is actually really good. This post will mainly just be following that with some additional commentary on things that were helpful to me as a DIYer.
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The first thing I want to point out is that this is a fairly easy job. I have included enough detail, maybe too much so, that if you can operate a screwdriver, you can probably do this job. However, the juice might not be worth the squeeze. What I mean by that is Tesla has this replacement as a flat rate time (FRT) of 0.54 hours = 32 minutes. At their 2025 hourly rate of $210/hr, that is $115 of labor (permalink). I think that is a very fair price as it took me about an hour to disassemble and an hour to reassemble. The window assembly is the same price whether you install it yourself or have them install it. However, the one downside of having them install it is you need to schedule an appointment and their availability may be sparse, I’d imagine a week out but it’s not unheard of for it to be multiple weeks. As I rent this car on Turo, I had a trip coming up and needed this fixed ASAP (show a picture of asap rocky), so I had to take maters into my own hands.
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### DIY Alternative
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The first thing I want to point out is that this is a fairly easy job. I have included enough detail, maybe too much so, that if you can operate a screwdriver, you can probably do this job. However, the juice might not be worth the squeeze. What I mean by that is Tesla has this replacement as a flat rate time (FRT) of [0.54 hours](https://service.tesla.com/docs/Model3/ServiceManual/en-us/GUID-1F4A72C4-BFEB-410B-BB8C-CDEAA02CC36A.html) ≈ 32 minutes. At their [2025 hourly rate of $210/hr](https://www.reddit.com/r/TeslaLounge/comments/1kzers1/high_service_center_hourly_rate/), that is $115 of labor. I think that is a very fair price as it took me about an hour to disassemble and an hour to reassemble. The window assembly is the same price whether you install it yourself or have them install it ([~$165](https://parts.tesla.com/en-US/catalogs/9678bc03-3011-4c95-9620-bb32d391cac0/systemGroups/89377fb9-d068-4510-8ef4-2223c56a3b08?partNumber=1096622-98-L)). However, the one downside of having them install it is you need to schedule an appointment and their availability may be sparse, I’d imagine a week out but it’s not unheard of for it to be multiple weeks. As I rent this car on Turo, I had a trip coming up and needed this fixed ASAP, so I had to take maters into my own hands.
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Tools needed
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### Tools Needed
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[Screwdriver set that has everything you need ~$35 (affiliate link)](https://amzn.to/3ZXHTzT).
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* Small flathead screwdriver
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* T30
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* T30 Torx bit
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* 13mm socket
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* 8mm socket
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## Removing Window Regulator Motor
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Okay, enough chit chat, let’s get our hands dirty.
* Step one, we will be removing the puddle light below the door.
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* Use a small screwdriver or pry tool in the slot at the front of the puddle light to pry the light out of the bottom of the door trim panel.
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* Then, Disconnect the electrical harness from the puddle light connector by pushing down on this little tab and then pulling the light away from the harness.
* The puddle light is located at the bottom of the door.
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* Use a small screwdriver or pry tool in the slot at the front of the puddle light to pry the light out of the bottom of the door trim panel.
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* Then, disconnect the electrical harness from the puddle light connector by pushing down on the little tab and then pulling the light away from the harness.
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* Do be aware that the electrical harness wiring is pretty short, so you don’t have a ton of slack to work with.
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* Remove door trim (https://service.tesla.com/docs/Model3/ServiceManual/en-us/GUID-571074E0-AF50-488B-B65D-5EB50EFB9FCF.html#GUID-571074E0-AF50-488B-B65D-5EB50EFB9FCF)
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* Next, we have two T30 screws to remove. The first one is hidden under the armrest. You’ll find this plastic cover that you can remove with a flathead screwdriver or pick tool.
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* Remove this T30 screw.
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* The other screw is located underneath the power window button.
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* No plastic cover for this one, just unscrew the T30.
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*
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*[Remove door trim](https://service.tesla.com/docs/Model3/ServiceManual/en-us/GUID-571074E0-AF50-488B-B65D-5EB50EFB9FCF.html#GUID-571074E0-AF50-488B-B65D-5EB50EFB9FCF)
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* Next, we have two T30 screws to remove. The first one is hidden under the button to open the door. You’ll find this plastic cover that you can remove with a flathead screwdriver or pick tool, then remove the T30 screw.
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* The other screw is located underneath the power window button. No plastic cover for this one, just unscrew the T30.
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* Now we need to remove the trim panel. There are 10 plastic clips holding the trim to the door. Use the puddle light opening as an anchor point to break the trim free from the door. Break the trim free by swinging it out from the bottom. It will take some force.
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* At this point, the trim is held in from a lip at the top. Lift the trim over the lip to pull it free. Be aware that it still has some wires keeping it connected to the door.
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* Setting the trim panel down on a table (or in my case, a tire) was helpful.
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* There are 3 electrical wiring harnesses to disconnect. One for the speaker that is just like the puddle light. You can then release the plastic clip that attaches the electrical harness to the trim panel. Just wiggle it and pull it out
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* To disconnect the last two connectors, simply pull on them with a decent amount of force.
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* And if you’re curious, the black connector powers the window regulator or motor. So if you connect this, you can still move the window up and down
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* Lastly, they also mention to check the door for any remaining black push clip retainers. If you see any, pull them put and put them back into the trim panel. All of mine look good.
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* Remove door inner belt seal (https://service.tesla.com/docs/Model3/ServiceManual/en-us/GUID-C30832F9-4546-4EF9-BF17-2DB0DBEC7174.html#GUID-C30832F9-4546-4EF9-BF17-2DB0DBEC7174)
* Second to last step is removing the glass or window. To get access to the bolts holding the window, we need to remove the two rubber plugs that cover the opening in the door.
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* Setting the trim panel down on a table (or in my case, a tire) was helpful.
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* There are 3 electrical wiring harnesses to disconnect. One for the speaker that is just like the puddle light. You can release the plastic clip that attaches the electrical harness to the trim panel. Just wiggle it and pull it out
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* To disconnect the last two connectors, simply pull on them with a decent amount of force.
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* If you’re curious, the black connector powers the window regulator or motor. So if you connect this, you can still move the window up and down
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* Lastly, they also mention to check the door for any remaining black push clip retainers. If you see any, pull them put and put them back into the trim panel.
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*[Remove door inner belt seal](https://service.tesla.com/docs/Model3/ServiceManual/en-us/GUID-C30832F9-4546-4EF9-BF17-2DB0DBEC7174.html#GUID-C30832F9-4546-4EF9-BF17-2DB0DBEC7174)
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* The "inner belt seal" is the black piece of rubber at the bottom of the window in the interior.
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* There are 3 plastic clips on the outside of the seal and 3 plastic clips on the inside of the seal. Break these free, then lift the trim up to remove it.
* To get access to the bolts holding the window, we need to remove the two rubber plugs that cover the opening in the door.
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* The repair manual states that you need to temporarily reconnect the puddle light. I don’t think that is necessary but, just letting you know.
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*[ lower the window maybe 25% from the top, this will give you access to the window bolts ]
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* Once you have the window bolts aligned with the opening, you can remove them. They are 13mm.
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* As you’ll see, this means to lift the window towards the interior of the vehicle.
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* And if you were thinking just one step ahead, you would have somewhere soft to lay this glass down so that you don’t scratch it.
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* Remove window motor / regulator assembly (https://service.tesla.com/docs/Model3/ServiceManual/en-us/GUID-1F4A72C4-BFEB-410B-BB8C-CDEAA02CC36A.html)
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* Lower the window maybe 25% from the top, this will give you access to the window bolts.
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* Once you have the window bolts aligned with the opening, you can remove them. They are 13mm.
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* To remove the glass, lift it up and then "away from the run channel". As you’ll notice, this means to lift the window towards the interior of the vehicle.
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* Ideally, you would have somewhere soft to lay the glass down so that you don’t scratch it.
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*[Remove window motor / regulator assembly](https://service.tesla.com/docs/Model3/ServiceManual/en-us/GUID-1F4A72C4-BFEB-410B-BB8C-CDEAA02CC36A.html)
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* Disconnect the electrical harness from window motor / regulator assembly
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* Release the 2 clips that attach the manual latch release cable to the window motor / regulator assembly
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* Lastly, we will be removing 13x 8mm screws around the outside of this black plastic panel to remove the assembly. Do not remove the four screws on the inside. They are a different size so hopefully they aren’t tempting.
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* Remove 13x 8mm screws around the outside of the black plastic panel to remove the assembly.
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* Do not remove the four screws on the inside.
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* They are a different size so hopefully they aren’t tempting.
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* Once the screws are out, there are two metal clips holding the assembly to the door. The repair manual only mentions one and it is wrong. There’s a clip on the bottom left and the bottom right.
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*[ to lift the assembly out, pull it away from the bottom, then slide the assembly down ]
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Boom! The assembly is out and ready to be replaced or repaired. This is me rambling about what I think is broken… I still don’t know what the issue was.
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So what you’re seeing here is if the window is in a certain position, the motors cannot move it. This matches what we saw when the window was closed. You can hear the motors slipping and not having maybe enough torque. But once I “break it free” and move it to a location with less friction, the motor can move the window. the motor is only pushing the window up to maybe 75% of the total height, and down to only about 25% of full height.
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Why does it do this? I don’t know. And I did not investigate. Like I said earlier, you can’t buy any pieces of this, just the whole assembly, so that’s what I ended up doing. If you want mine, shoot me a message! I still have it haha.
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Ok, just got back from Tesla service with a new window regulator. To the untrained eye, Looks… pretty much the same as my old one.
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Welp… it works! Lol. You can see the window has a full range of motion now.
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* To lift the assembly out, pull it away from the bottom, then slide the assembly down.
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Boom! The assembly is out and ready to be replaced or repaired.
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Ordering new parts
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I do not know what the issue was with mine and I did not investigate. Like I said earlier, you can’t buy any pieces of this, just the whole assembly, so that’s what I ended up doing. If you want mine, shoot me a message! I still have it haha.
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## Ordering New Parts
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You have two options: you can call a service center (https://www.tesla.com/findus?bounds=40.23146027568818%2C-103.95234797816154%2C39.2611153779068%2C-106.05073665003654&filters=tesla_service_centers) to see if they have stock for pickup immediately, or you can order to be shipped to your house. If you call the service center, press 1 for vehicles, then press 1 for service, then say the reason for your call “window regulator”, then you can finally press 5 to get to your local service center
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I was quoted 6 days (4 business days) for shipping online. I picked up from a service center within the hour. Prices are the same regardless of how you order: $165.
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